Goodnight, Sleep Tight!

Bedtime has been and continues to be a struggle for Jay-R. When we first came home, we expected difficulty for him sleeping in his own bed. But as weeks went on, we still had issues. So, a friend suggested sitting in his room with my computer as he fell asleep (thanks Tonya!) so he had the security of knowing we were close by. Well, this became routine and it has worked. Well, he is six now, in kindergarten, and he's been with us 8 months tomorrow, Nov. 16th. Plus, he wants to spend the night at his grandparents' houses and he is definitely not ready for this. So, we are working on the going to sleep by himself in his own bed, in his own room. We are doing this in baby steps because in the long run it will be more successful and easier on all of us. So, tonight I am sitting on my computer in the hallway. He can't see me, but he knows I am here. Then, I will graduate to being in my room which is still upstairs and then to downstairs. It's just a matter of him getting used to the routine.

Sleep issues are nothing new to us. Our daughter never liked falling asleep in her own bed by herself. When she was younger, my husband worked 2nd and 3rd shifts and she often slept with me which is why it was probably hard for her to sleep by herself as she got a little older. And, Jay-R always had a room full of boys when he went to bed so falling asleep by himself is new. Each parent feels differently about sleep and each culture views it differently, too. And I know that in many cultures, children do sleep near to parent. A Filipino acquaintance told me that young children often sleep with their parents. And, I read in an adoption book that sleeping issues are actually one sign of positive attachment because the child doesn't want to separate from the parent. Many different views on sleep. And of course each child is different.

I promise I'll post birthday pics this week. There are some cute ones!!! And as for tonight, success...he is sleeping soundly!